In just over 24hrs from now, the 7 Minutes of Terror will begin! Go Curiosity go!

Touchdown is expected at 1:17 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) Monday, but it will take radio signals confirming the event 13.8 minutes to cross the 154-million-mile gulf between Earth and Mars. That translates to 1:31 a.m. "Earth-received time."

Yeah, I know what you mean Rob. When NASA had the lunar impactor mission a few years back, a lot of people thought they'd get to see HD video of this thing flying into the surface of the moon. But it wound up looking more like black & white time lapse images.

Sending a video stream over those kinds of distances is really prohibitive. Satellites that provide video service are at an altitude of 23,000 miles over the Earth's equator, and you've got to have very precise azimuth and elevation adjustments in order to receive signal, let alone transmit. Doing that from the moon, which is over 10 times that distance was a challenge in 1969.

Transmitting live video from Mars would be even more difficult, and the problem is twofold: precision delivery of the signal, plus the power that would be required to do so. The space craft probably doesn't have enough onboard power to transmit video. And that's likely why NASA muxes together their telemetry with data from the onboard instruments and still cameras. It's a lot more efficient from a power standpoint.

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From the moment the rover hits the Martian atmosphere it will start taking data. Studded in 14 locations around the probe’s heat shield are devices known as the Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI). This equipment will provide information about Mars’ atmosphere and the dynamics of the rover’s descent, analyzing Curiosity’s trip to the surface and providing information helpful in designing future Mars missions.

Additionally, a special camera, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) will be watching the view as the ground rushes up at Curiosity. By taking high-resolution color video during the probe’s landing sequence, MARDI will provide an overview of the landscape during descent and allow geologists back on Earth to determine exactly where Curiosity lands.

Curiosity has plenty of eyes to take in the view on the ground. Perched atop its head is the MastCam, two cameras capable of taking color images and video, as well as stitching pictures together into larger panoramas. One of these two cameras has a high-resolution lens, allowing Curiosity to study the distant landscape in detail.

When I asked about live coverage I wasn't talking about a feed from Mars but more along the lines of the control room as info is coming back. I'm assuming they'll get some info as it approaches then, as the graphic says, after the landing they're hoping for a signla back.

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0431 GMT (12:31 a.m. EDT)One hour, just 60 minutes from Curiosity touching down on Mars! The rover currently is 9,446 miles from the planet, closing at 9,572 mph.At the landing time, it will be mid-afternoon -- around 3 p.m. local -- in Gale Crater. It is late winter there in the southern hemisphere, about two thirds of the way from winter solstice to spring equinox.